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Boxer Hector 'Macho' Camacho dies at 50

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Story highlights

Police continue search for two suspects, found cocaine in car occupied by Camacho

He was a promoter's godsend for his showmanship, titles and hand speed

He suffered a heart attack after doctors ruled him clinically brain dead

A southpaw, Camacho won 79 fights and titles in three weight classes

Famed boxer Hector Camacho died after he was taken off life support early Saturday, a hospital spokeswoman in Puerto Rico told CNN.

A passing gunman on Tuesday shot Camacho, who was in a car in front of a bar in his hometown of Bayamon, Puerto Rico.

He was declared clinically brain dead on Thursday and placed on life support.

Camacho, 50, suffered a heart attack and had been taken off life support, said Wilmelis Marquez, spokeswoman for the Rio Piedras Medical Center.

He was pronounced dead at 1:45 a.m., she said.

Photos: 'Macho' Camacho through the years 12 photos

Photos: 'Macho' Camacho through the years12 photos

'Macho' Camacho through the years – Famed Puerto Rican boxer Hector "Macho" Camacho, seen here in 1993, died Saturday, November 24. A gunman shot him in the face two days earlier in front of a bar in his hometown of Bayamon, Puerto Rico.

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Photos: 'Macho' Camacho through the years12 photos

'Macho' Camacho through the years – Camacho gives the peace sign while watching a 1991 bout between Julio Cesar Chavez and Lonnie Smith in Las Vegas. Camacho was considered a promoter's dream because he was a showman in the ring against some of the greatest fighters of his era.

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Photos: 'Macho' Camacho through the years12 photos

'Macho' Camacho through the years – In 1992, Camacho sits in his corner between rounds of his fight against Eddie Van Kirk.

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'Macho' Camacho through the years – Before his 1992 fight against Eddie Van Kirk, Camacho stands in the ring wearing a firefighter hat and an outfit adorned with flames.

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Photos: 'Macho' Camacho through the years12 photos

'Macho' Camacho through the years – Camacho lands a punch to his opponent, Roberto Duran, during their IBC middleweight fight in Atlantic City, New Jersey, in 1996. Camacho won in a 12-round decision.

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'Macho' Camacho through the years – Boxers Sugar Ray Leonard, sitting second from left, and Hector Camacho, right, pose with kids from a New Jersey school during a benefit luncheon at Planet Hollywood in Atlantic City on February 28, 1997.

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'Macho' Camacho through the years – Camacho pins Sugar Ray Leonard to the ropes as referee Joe Cotez looks on during a bout in Atlantic City on March 1, 1997. Camacho won with a knockout in the fifth round, ending Leonard's comeback effort.

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'Macho' Camacho through the years – Before the 1997 fight with Leonard, Camacho heads toward the ring dressed as a Roman soldier.

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'Macho' Camacho through the years – Oscar De La Hoya battles Camacho during a match in Las Vegas on September 13, 1997.

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'Macho' Camacho through the years – Camacho gets water in his corner during his 1997 fight against Oscar De La Hoya.

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'Macho' Camacho through the years – Camacho and his son, undefeated super lightweight champion Hector "Macho" Camacho Jr., celebrate their wins in Miami on February 3, 2001. They were the first father and son tandem to share the same boxing card since 1975.

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'Macho' Camacho through the years – Camacho dances during the grand finale of Univision's "Mira Quien Baila" in Miami on November 21, 2010.

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Los familiares de Camacho

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Camacho, a former lightweight and junior lightweight champion, was in the passenger seat of the car, police said. The driver was shot twice and killed, they said.

The suspects are two men believed to have been traveling in a gray vehicle, said Lt. Wilfredo Rivera of Cataño Police. They escaped after a shootout with police at a residential complex, WAPA TV reported.

Investigators continued to search Saturday for the two suspects, said Alex Diaz, spokesman for the Puerto Rico Police Department in the Bayamon division.

Authorities found nine bags of cocaine on the slain driver, who had a long history of drug-related charges and was Camacho's friend, Diaz said.

Police also found one opened bag of cocaine inside the car, Diaz said.

Camacho was considered a promoter's godsend because he was a showman in the ring against some of the greatest fighters of his era: Sugar Ray Leonard, Roberto Duran, Oscar de la Hoya, Julio Cesar Chavez, Felix Trinidad and Vinny Pazienzia.

He was known for long, flashy trunks with tassels, and he enjoyed being theatrical, as evidenced by his "Macho" nickname.

His flamboyance was as dazzling as his hand-and-foot speed, and his titles and victories attested to his talent.

A southpaw, he won world titles in the classes of super lightweight, lightweight and junior welterweight in the 1980s. He amassed a record of 79 victories, six losses and three draws.

Among his high-profile bouts was his 1997 knockout of Leonard, ending his comeback effort. But the same year, Camacho lost to de la Hoya.

His most recent fight was in 2010, when he was well past his prime and his life was being marked by drug, alcohol and marital problems. He lost that bout to Saul Duran.

Camacho was born in Bayamon and was raised in New York after his family moved to Spanish Harlem.

In 2005, he was arrested in Mississippi on charges of trying to rob an electronics store and possession of the drug ecstasy. He was later given probation.

This year, Camacho was ordered by a Florida court not to have contact with his ex-wife 13-year-old son after allegations that Camacho had attacked the boy.

His survivors include another son who is also a boxer, Hector "Machito" Camacho Jr.